Sonic's Swimming Lessons
by Darkness78
Summary: Sonic loses a bet and must take swimming lessons. This should be interesting...
1. Chapter 1

Something I thought of as a way of explaining why Sonic hasn't lost his fear of water yet.

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><p>Please review!<p>

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><p>"I can totally kick your butt at skee ball!" Sonic taunted, as Knuckles and he walked around the arcade. There was a nearby skee ball machine that gave a free jumbo stuffed chao to anybody who scored over 500,000 points. Not that the stuffed chao mattered to Sonic- frankly, he just wanted to obliterate Knuckles at skee ball.<p>

"Oh yeah! I bet I could beat you any day!" Knuckles retorted.

"A bet, huh?"

"A bet, I suppose. You lose, you have to take swimming lessons."

"What about you? Oh, I know... you lose, and you have to take Rouge out on a date!"

"Well, that's harsh, but I'm going to win, so I suppose it doesn't matter. So, you're on!"

Later at the check-in desk in the local recreational center...

"He totally kicked my butt at skee ball, and, to rub it in, got a jumbo stuffed chao. Which is why I have to take swimming lessons." Sonic grumbled towards the bright and cheery receptionist.

"Okay, Mister Sonic. Please fill out this form and we'll set up a lesson for you today. Remember, public lessons cost 30 rings, and private lessons cost 60 rings." the receptionist answered cheerily. She happily handed Sonic a piece of computer paper with questions on it.

The form read:

_Name:_

_Would you like public or private lessons? Underline one._

_**Public/Private**_

_Do you want half-day or full-day lessons? Underline one._

_**Half-day/Full-day**_

_What level would you like to enroll in? You know what to do._

**_Toddler/Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced/Expert_**

_What is your experience with the sport you have enrolled with?_

_Do you want to enroll in our e-mail program? It's free!_

Sonic sighed and began filling out the form, while Knuckles checked to see how much memory he had left on his video camera.


	2. Chapter 2

Sonic finished filling out his form. Here's what it looked like:

_Name: _Sonic___

_Would you like public or private lessons? Underline one._

_**Public/Private**_

_Do you want half-day or full-day lessons? Underline one._

_**Half-day/Full-day**_

_What level would you like to enroll in? You know what to do._

**_Toddler/Beginner Intermediate Advanced Expert_**

_What is your experience with the sport you have enrolled with?_

Well, when I'd save the world, I'd have to go through more than one water level. I never liked it much, but a hero's gotta do what a hero's gotta do. Also, I had to swim for the Olympics. I hated it, and the person who controlled me wasn't very good at it (Curse you D78!).

_Do you want to enroll in our e-mail program? It's free!_

No!

Sonic grumbled as he handed the form to the receptionist. The receptionist smiled and ushered Knuckles and him to the pool.

As they walked, Knuckles laughed as he admired his video camera, "This is going to be YouTube gold!" Sonic gave Knuckles a very Shadow-like smirk.

When they reached the pool, a pretty, skinny, and brunette woman in a blue speedo walked over. She looked a lot like Maria (except with brown hair). _Huh!_, Sonic thought, _A Maria doppelganger! Shadow would've loved to see this!_

"I'm Claire, and I'm your swim instructor. I've heard lots about you, Sonic, especially about your hydrophobia." she introduced cheerfully.

"Yeah... let's get this over with..." Sonic responded nervously, looking more at the water than at Claire. She giggled and led Sonic to the pool. Knuckles took a seat nearby and began recording.

"Now, we are going to start in the shallow end. Gently place your foot on the step." Claire guided Sonic to the shallow end, where a set of underwater stairs led to the bottom of the shallow end. A look of panic overtook Sonic, and he ran into a corner, shaking like mad. Claire picked Sonic up, and placed him in the pool. "That wasn't so bad, was it" she commented.

"Wait, I'm in water!" Sonic exclaimed, and he screamed while flailing his arms and legs around, "Get me out of here!"

"No, no. Sonic, just relax."

"How can I relax when I can't swim!"

"It's the shallow end! You can touch the bottom!"

"Oh..." Sonic replied lamely, as he placed his feet at the bottom of the pool. Knuckles and Claire laughed. "Hey! Not funny!" Sonic retorted, blushing.

"It's okay. When you're afraid of something, you tend to exaggerate the risks. I'll come in and help you learn to swim and get over your fear of water." Claire comforted, as she jumped into the pool. "First, I'll teach you how to float. Once you learn to float, the other strokes will be easier." Claire added.

"Okay, but I don't see how floating will improve my golf strokes."

"Wrong kind of stroke, Sonic."


	3. Chapter 3

The lesson went quite smoothly. Sonic had learned to float, and declared that it was far better than just sinking. Claire hadn't taught Sonic any strokes yet, but it didn't matter to Sonic, since Sonic began to rather like Claire. However, halfway through the lesson, a certain hot-headed hedgehog burst through the wall.

"Sonic! The! Hedgehog! I can't believe you'd cheat on me!" Amy screamed.

"What are you talking about?" Sonic responded nervously. He knew what was coming.

"You're hanging out with another woman! That means you're in a relationship with her, which mean you're like boyfriend and girlfriend!"

"Amy, just because I hang out with Claire doesn't mean we're dating!"

"Yes it does!" Amy grabbed Claire out the pool and pounded her repeatedly with the Piko Piko Hammer. Sonic and Knuckles just stared at the scene, wide-eyed. When Amy and her hammer finally went home, Sonic checked on Claire. Unconscious. The usual outcome of Amy's beatings.

Of course, the recreational center was alerted and a new instructor was commissioned until Claire woke up. He was mean, muscular, large, and intimidating. Sonic gulped and shuddered.

"I'm Bruce, your temporary instructor! Your pathetic instructor Claire teaches with kindness, but I don't! I believe anger and fear teaches best! So that's how I'll teach you! Get used to it!" he shouted.

"Uh... uh... oh-okay..." Sonic responded, trembling. Normally Sonic would've said some witty answer, but there was something about this guy that scared the living heck out of Sonic.

"Now jump into the deep end and perform a breast stroke! Even a complete moron can perform a breast stroke!" Bruce barked.

"But I haven't learned how!" Sonic protested.

Bruce leaned in close to Sonic, and gave Sonic an intimidating glare. "So Mrs. Kindy-Whinedy didn't teach you a breast stroke! Well too bad! You're going to learn now! So do it!" Sonic sighed and jumped in. He performed an odd stroke that didn't even resemble the breast stroke. Knuckles had to keep himself from laughing as he recorded every bit of this lesson.

"No! No! **_No!_** You have to do it **_right!_**"

The lesson went on and on, and Sonic became more and more afraid of the pool. By the end of the lesson with Bruce, Sonic's fear of water had escalated. Knuckles caught all of the lesson on video, and was more than happy than to upload it. Humiliated, Sonic thought that today was most certainly the worst day of his life.

"Man, I am never going swimming again!" Sonic lamented, "Unless, of course, the world needs me to!"

Knuckles replied, "But I do have to make bets with you more often!"

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><p>And that is why, after all these years, Sonic is still afraid of water.<p>

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><p>Hope you all liked it! Please review!<p> 


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